Nobody can be stopped from voting on no-trust move: Bilawal

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that the joint opposition is using democratic means to challenge an “undemocratic” person, adding that nobody can stop parliamentarians from voting on the no-confidence motion.

Addressing a press conference at Zardari House in the federal capital, the scion of the Bhutto dynasty said that the no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan is the culmination of his party’s three-year-long struggle.

He added that voting on the motion is their right as parliamentarians just like common voters have the right to go to the voting booths to cast their vote.

Accusing the premier of rigging, Bilawal said that Article 6 of the Constitution of Pakistan has clear guidelines against meddling with the constitutional process.

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He urged the chief justices of Islamabad High Court (IHC) and Supreme Court (SC) and the chief election commissioner (CEC) to take notice of the matter, saying that nobody should be stopped from voting.

He appealed to every individual who had sworn the oath to protect the constitution to ensure that the constitutional process is followed. “We cannot run this country on the rule of the jungle, there has to be a law of the land,” he said.

The PPP chief said that the opposition’s move was against the foreign policy that had isolated Pakistan internationally and the “polarised anarchy” the society is heading towards. He added that after the no-confidence move, they want free and fair elections in the country to bring about a government with “the mandate of the people”.

Referring to the foreign funding case against the prime minister, he also accused the premier of being funded by India and Israel.

Responding to a question, Bilawal said that this no-confidence motion was the “first democratic one” in the country’s history and was backed by the people of Pakistan.

He said that he had made every possible effort to approach those who could remove Prime Minister Imran from power, saying that “this country is not of a single person”.

He also expressed confidence over the no-trust move’s success, saying that their meetings with government’s former allies had “exceeded expectations”.

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“We believe in democracy, and we are confident as well as happy to see that our opponent is worried,” the PPP chief said. “We are preparing for a win.”

He also accused the government of closing schools for the premier’s speeches and making students attend his talks, adding that the government allegedly plays audio of applause through soundtracks.

Bilawal said that while PPP had issues with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), both political parties had agreed to work together for improving people’s lives. “We do not need to agree on every issue, but there is scope for common ground to be reached,” he added.

Separately, PPP’s Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman, in a press conference, claimed that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is threatening a constitutional crisis to preserve its government.
She also raised concerns over the government’s definition of neutrality, and pointed to the army’s reassuring statement in the middle of a missile crisis, wondering why it had taken days for the “gravity of the situation at hand to sink in”.

She also expressed concern over the government’s decision to block its lawmakers from voting on the vote of no-confidence.